As you design your brochures, try to make them distinguishable with a unique logo or color highlight. That will make it stand out and be more memorable. Keep them simple brochures and cards simple and elegant with lots of "white space". Make sure you include what makes your company special in addition to the services you offer. Include client success stories when you have them.
Draft a letter and send it to everyone who knows you (friends and relatives included) telling them about your services and what you are up to. Announce to the world you are in business for yourself. Include your brochure and a few business cards.
Ask your friends, family and associates for referrals. See if they would be willing to pass your brochure on to others, call them and recommend you or set up a time for all of you to talk.
Draft another letter to send potential customers. Try to find a specific person to whom to address the letter. Depending on the type of organization, the person with whom you'll want to talk may vary. In a small company, the owner or President is probably the decision-maker. In mid-size companies, the IT Director may be the appropriate one.
Call the switchboard and get the name of the person you've identified. Mail the letter so it arrives mid-week. People tend to overwhelmed on Mondays. Wednesdays tend to be light mail days and by then, most folks have made some progress on their week's tasks. They are more likely to have time to deal with things that aren't demanding their immediate attention.
Follow up with them within a week of mailing. Start out with "I sent you a brochure a few weeks ago. Have you had a chance to review it?" They may not remember it specifically. This is the chance to use your 1 minute "elevator pitch" to explain what you do. Believe that you are doing them a service by informing them about you; that you will be able to help them solve a business problem they have.
Ask if they are the person who makes decisions about IT projects. Once you've reached the right person and told them what you do, ask what issues they are dealing with that you might be able to help them solve. If it sounds like there is a potential match of their needs and your services, set up a time for you to meet. Look at your calendar and propose two options. People like having choices. "Would Monday or Thursday work better for you? What time is best?"
Consider buying lists of people or companies that could benefit from your services.
Put together an email ad targeting the companies that you believe you can help with your services.
If it seems that one particular type of company needs your services, it's likely that others do too. Call or write to similar companies. Tell them of your success with helping their competitors and suggest that your services may be helpful for their business too.
Once you've developed a solution that works in a particular situation sell it to other organizations. They are probably dealing with the same issues as your original client and you can make money without having to "reinvent the wheel".
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